In an electrophotographic (EP) imaging process used in printers, copiers and the like, a photosensitive member, such as a photoconductive drum or belt, is uniformly charged over an outer surface. An electrostatic latent image is formed by selectively discharging the surface and applying toner. The toner is transferred to media and is fixed by applying heat and pressure in a fuser assembly.
Fuser assemblies take many forms. They include hot rolls or belts that springs bias against a backup roll to form a fusing nip. The nip exerts a force on media traversing the nip, but the force is often too great when imaging smaller-sized media, such as envelopes, causing wrinkling. To overcome this, manufacturers introduce devices to remove the force of the springs acting on the nip. However, proximity of the rolls and belts, their relative hardness, their deflection, etc., sometimes does not provide sufficient enough relief in the nip force. Conversely, the removal of the spring force sometimes causes components to become so lax that a gap develops at the fusing nip eliminating sufficient force to even advance media through the nip. The inventor recognizes a need to overcome these and other problems.